Valorising Horizon project results via innovation ecosystems

HORIZON-BRIDGING Valorising Horizon project results via innovation ecosystems is a forthcoming Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action under Bridging Actions 2027 with an indicative total budget of €20,000,000 and an expected 5 grants of about €2,500,000 to €4,000,000 each. The single-stage call opens 20 October 2026 and closes 16 February 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time. Projects must be multi-partner consortia of knowledge intermediaries and allocate a minimum of 60 percent of the requested EU contribution within each thematic area to financial support to third parties (grants only) for prototyping, testing, demonstration and market replication, with a maximum grant per third party of €150,000. Applicants must select one thematic area (Agriculture and Food systems; Clean transition: energy and transport; Health; Bioeconomy; or Raw materials and advanced materials) and demonstrate credible pipelines to validation sites, transparent open-call processes and links to follow-on funding instruments.

Valorising Horizon project results via innovation ecosystems

HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-06-02 (Bridging Actions 2027)

Apply via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Proposals must follow the lump‑sum MGA rules and the Work Programme General Annexes (admissibility, eligibility, evaluation and grant agreement provisions).

Footnotes

1. 1Topic page and full conditions are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Topic page.

Call and Administrative Details

Scope and Activities Required

This topic is explicitly targeted at organisations that act as knowledge intermediaries and innovation ecosystem builders. Projects must focus on providing financial support to third parties (FSTP) via open competitive calls to enable prototyping, testing, demonstration, piloting, product validation and market replication of exploitable results emerging from Horizon 2020 Pillar III and Horizon Europe Pillar II projects. Projects must select one of five thematic areas and ensure at least one high-ranked proposal is funded in each area if thresholds are met.

Thematic Areas (applicant must choose one)

Eligibility and Consortium Requirements

Consortia should comprise actors that operate as knowledge intermediaries in innovation ecosystems. Examples include technology transfer offices, EU-supported innovation ecosystems, innovation platforms, incubators, clusters, entrepreneurship support initiatives, regional innovation hubs, KICs and similar. Projects must provide financial support to third parties in the form of grants (FSTP); minimum 60% of the total requested EU contribution per thematic area must be allocated to fund recipients for validation/valorisation.

Funding Modalities and Financial Rules

Selection, Evaluation and Award

This topic uses the standard Horizon Europe submission and evaluation processes. It is a single-stage deadline. Evaluation criteria align with Annex D General Annexes (Excellence, Impact, Implementation). To ensure a balanced portfolio, grants will be awarded not only by ranking but also to ensure coverage across the five thematic areas (at least one highest-ranked application per area meeting thresholds will be funded).

Application Design and Templates

Applicants must use the official online application forms in the Funding & Tenders Submission System (Part A and Part B). The topic requires the upload of specific annexes including an Information on Financial Support to Third Parties form (a mandatory annex when FSTP is used), and where relevant a Clinical Studies template. Proposals should follow page and format limits described in Part B of the application form and the Work Programme General Annexes; some topic-specific requests increase the Part B page limit in certain cases (the topic text indicates when). Detailed budgets are replaced by lump-sum approach: applicants must follow the Detailed Budget Table for lump-sum actions as provided in the Submission System.

Application Content — Recommended Structure

Evaluation and Award — Practical Notes

Proposals will be evaluated according to the standard Horizon Europe evaluation procedure and the relevant evaluation forms (HE RIA standard evaluation form adapted where needed). The awarding authority expects a balanced portfolio across the five thematic areas and reserves the right to select the highest-ranked proposal per area provided it meets thresholds. Mid-term deliverables should include the selection of third-party grantees and first cohort outputs. A mid-term assessment by practitioners and an external evaluator for the FSTP mechanisms is recommended.

Eligibility and Evaluation Practicalities (Detailed)

Applicant Support and Resources

Key Operational and Compliance Requirements

How to Apply — Practical Checklist

Selection and Project Lifecycle — What to Expect if Funded

If awarded, projects will sign a lump-sum Model Grant Agreement. Projects must deliver on planned open calls for third parties, manage fair evaluation and selection procedures, disburse grants to successful third parties, and provide monitoring, mentoring and reporting of funded activities. The granting authority may review specific IP transfers and licensing up to 4 years after project end (see specific provision in Annex 5). Beneficiaries should plan post-project steps to attract follow-on funding and investment for successful valorised results.

Contact Points and Additional Documents

Short Practical Summary

This Horizon Europe HORIZON-BRIDGING call funds multi-partner projects that act as innovation intermediaries to scout, select and finance validation and market-replication activities for exploitable results stemming from Horizon 2020 Pillar III and Horizon Europe Pillar II projects. Projects must deliver open calls and grant financial support (FSTP) to third parties for prototyping and demonstration, allocate at least 60% of funding to those third-party grants, provide mentorship, access to testing/real-life validation sites, training on commercialisation and scalable deployment, and link participants to follow-on funding and acceleration programmes. Eligible consortia should be composed of knowledge intermediaries such as TTOs, incubators, KICs, Regional Innovation Valleys, clusters and living labs. Projects are awarded as Horizon Research and Innovation Actions using a lump-sum Model Grant Agreement. Deadline: 16 February 2027.

HORIZON-BRIDGING, titled Valorising Horizon project results via innovation ecosystems, is a forthcoming Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action under Bridging Actions 2027. It is a single-stage call with a planned opening date of 20 October 2026 and a deadline of 16 February 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time, with an overall budget of €20 million and an indicative five grants expected.12

What the opportunity funds

The call is designed to bridge the gap between Horizon project results and market deployment by helping owners of promising results move from proof of concept and laboratory validation toward prototyping, testing, demonstration, piloting, product validation, replication and investment readiness. It seeks to strengthen the innovation journey by connecting research outcomes with innovation ecosystems, knowledge intermediaries, investors, public procurers, living labs and other validation sites.12

Who can apply

The call targets consortia made up of knowledge intermediaries that can connect Horizon project consortia and owners of exploitable results with innovation ecosystems. The topic examples include technology transfer offices, EU-supported innovation ecosystems, existing innovation platforms, incubators, clusters and entrepreneurship support initiatives.12

Funding and financial rules

Eligible costs are funded as a lump sum. Beneficiaries must provide financial support to third parties only in the form of grants, and the maximum amount payable to each third party is €150,000. The topic also requires that at least 60 percent of the total requested EU contribution be allocated, within each thematic area, to de-risking innovations through validation and valorisation.12

Evaluation and award

To ensure a balanced portfolio, the final grant selection must include at least the highest ranked application in each area A to E, provided the applications reach all thresholds. Proposals must therefore be explicit about the thematic area they target.12

Applicant takeaways

This is a market-facing valorisation instrument rather than a pure research call. Strong proposals will show a credible pipeline from Horizon results to validation sites, a clear open-call mechanism for selecting third parties, a fair method for choosing evaluators, a realistic support model for commercialization, and a gender-sensitive approach that addresses barriers faced by women innovators and entrepreneurs. Proposals should also show synergies with existing initiatives and avoid overlap with ongoing topics named in the call text.12